Jeep History

History

This is the history of the brand Jeep since the establishment of the company and up to the most modern of vehicles produced under this brand.

Classic Cars

We have collected the best classic cars in our catalogue. In addition, if you're going to buy one - just check the latest Jeep listings in Australia.

Jeep

Creator of the first Jeep vehicle is an American engineer Karl Probst , who constructed in July 1940 at the company American Bantam in the U.S. Army tender Bantam BRC -wheeler carrying capacity " quarter-ton " open body type Ranebaut . This design was later modified at the insistence of the army larger firms, Willys-Overland and Ford Motor Co., And as a result have received major contracts for the supply of Jeep Willys MB and Ford GPW armies of the U.S. and its allies. Until the end of World War II were produced 361.4 and 277.9 thous . , Respectively. Significant supplies of the same type of data models implemented in the framework of the " Lend -Lease " in the USSR, where it was sent over 51 thousand Willys assembled and disassembled.
Jeep was an informal nickname ( it is believed that the name brand got the car Ford GPW in particular because of the combination of the first letters of the phonetic abbreviation of JP ) launched a broad appeal American journalist Katharine Hiller in the spring of 1941 after a test car Bantam. It has become a trademark of the Willys-Overland in 1945.
After the war, Willys Overland decided to adapt his creation to fulfillment of certain civil functions. Was prepared by the party machines. Just called them - CJ ( abbreviation for Civilian Jeep - « civilian Jeep "). These prototypes have been the basis for creating a production model , which went on sale in August 1945.
Externally, the entire "citizenship" was a fold-up tailgate , wiper and fuel cap on the rear wing .
On the hood , the rear door and window frame had to be a logo Jeep. However, in the early years of production, the company has conducted trials with the " American Bantam Car" on the right to use the name Jeep vehicles to be manufactured with the logo Willys. But already in 1950, the company has made to establish itself as the name, and June 13, 1950 Jeep was registered as a trademark .
In 1946, Willys was the first in the automotive industry , who offered a kind of vehicle for civilian use. The vehicle had rear-wheel drive and can seat up to seven people. Speed ​​indicators , however, did not shine - 100 km / h And here is presented in the 1949 version of the all-wheel drive , in fact , was the "grandfather " of the modern Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The further development of the theme occurred in the model Station Wagon, in multiseater Jeep discharged from 1951 to 1963 . His foundation and has served as the prototype of the external features of the first Wagoneer.
In 1953, the company Willys was bought by Kaiser-Fraizer and in 1963 renamed Kaiser Jeep. Since 1969, the Jeep brand was part of the group AMC (American Motors Co.), In turn, got in 1987 under the full control of the concern Chrysler. Since 1998, the Department of Jeep, specializing in the production of road vehicles, is part of the transnational concern DaimlerChrysler Corp.
1960 was perhaps the most important in the history of the Jeep: it is the time to shape the market of off-road vehicles (SUV). Back in the mid-1950s, the company began an active research and development of new projects machines with wheel formula 4 × 4 . The first fruits of the program given the fall of 1962 , when there was a completely new Jeep Wagoneer ( station wagon) , is fundamentally different from the earlier manufactured . The model belongs to the J-series and was equipped with a complete and partial drive.
In 1954 was born the fifth edition of "civil jeep » - CJ5. This all-wheel drive vehicle has been so successful that it stayed on the assembly line , changing , however , engines , suspension and transmission, until 1983.
A series of "civilian jeeps » - CJ - in 1949 established name Universal (« universal » ) 2/4-dverny Wagoneer with a 2.79 -meter wheelbase was the first utility vehicle with an automatic transmission , design and comfort of a passenger car in which supplemented with off-road performance . The combination of all-wheel drive with the "automatic " was used for the first time in the industry . In addition, the engine Wagoneer - «Tornado» - is the only power plant in the United States with an overhead camshaft .
In the 1963 model Wagoneer received a new 250 -horsepower engine V6 «Vigiliante».
In December 1965 Jeep dealers exhibited at the salons Super Wagoneer. After two years at this series Jeep started installing automatic transmission " GIDROMATIK ."
In the late 1960s, the firm's engineers have created another series engine " Dontles ", now with the 8 -cylinder engine. They decided to put on a series of J, to which belonged Wagoneer and Super Wagoneer.
Entry into a new " ten-year" marked another change for the Jeep owner. February 5, 1970 American Motor Corporation ( AMC) acquired Kaiser Jeep Corporation for $ 70 million. For AMC Jeep Wagoneer offered the largest in the history of all-wheel drive station wagon - V6 with a single camshaft . Options were , for the first time in world practice , V8 own production.
In 1973, the Wagoneer has undergone several technical improvements. His new mission «Quadro Track» was the first fully automated system for the permanent all-wheel drive cars ( limited slip differential) .
The following year, the birth took a new name - Cherokee. Newbie joined the J- series as a 2- door model . The 200th anniversary of America in 1976, Jeep released the seventh generation of "civil jeep » - CJ7. By 1977, the company produced and 4- door version , accompanied by its standard V6. Although the Jeep Cherokee at birth looks like a more luxurious Wagoneer, later it was he who was the most popular car in the history of Jeep Motors.
In 1978 he launched a limited edition Wagoneer - modification Limited ( with leather interior , radio and the mass of chromium ) .
In response to the energy crisis, which began in 1979, the production of large pickups and vans Gladiator Wagoneer plummeted. But sales of civilian Jeep CJ-series increased .
In 1984, the company has launched new versions of 2/4-dvernogo Cherokee, as well as a 4-door Wagoneer, which was 53.3 cm shorter than 15 cm is 10 cm shorter and 453 pounds lighter than its predecessor, first introduced in 1963. Cherokee was the only car in the compact class , who had four doors and two -wheel drive system - CommandTrac and SelectTrac.
In the spring of 1986 was born Wrangler. Mechanical stuffing at Wrangler was more like a Cherokee, than CJ7.
August 5, 1987 American Motor Corporation has announced its bankruptcy. All the property was sold . Jeep was acquired by Chrysler Corporation.
March 22, 1990 was one-millionth SUV series «XJ» - bright red Cherokee Limited. During the seven years of production Cherokee became the most popular model of the Chrysler Corporation in Europe.
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the brand Jeep Chrysler Corporation has released a new version of the Cherokee with 190 -horsepower 4- liter engine PowerTechSix. The car was named - Grand Cherokee.
The official presentation of the machine was January 7, 1992 at the Detroit Auto Show. In the 1996 model year in the Grand Cherokee were substantially improved : the engine , chassis, interior and electronic systems . Inside the cabin the most significant changes occurred in the dashboard. All switches and buttons are located in the immediate vicinity of the driver, the interior has improved ergonomics .
Successfully coped with the Grand Cherokee, Jeep design team took up the Wrangler - a descendant of Willys, which began the history of the company. The second-generation Jeep Wrangler was put into production in 1996.
Jeep - one of the most famous brands in the world of cars. In some languages ​​, such as, for example, in Russian , the brand name has become synonymous with the designation of all terrain vehicles . And in English , and it did originally was a household word.